Abstract of Recording

Dr. Fenton Schaffner (1920-2000) was Chief of the Liver Disease Division within the Mount Sinai Department of Medicine. In this lecture, he discusses major developments in the scientific understanding of the liver, as well as treatments over time. He highlights contributions made by physician scientists at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Transcript of Fenton Schaffner, MD: "History of Liver Disease" History of Medicine Seminar, December 12, 1972 (HOM 0018)

Biographical Sketch

Fenton Schaffner, MD (1920-2000) was a distinguished clinician, educator and investigator who made pioneering insights in the field of liver diseases. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and earned BS and MD degrees at the University of Chicago and a MS degree from Northwestern University. Following his service in the United States Navy, he joined the faculty of Northwestern University and practiced Internal Medicine in Chicago. He moved to New York in 1958 where he joined The Mount Sinai Hospital and established the Division of Liver Diseases as its first Director. During his exceptional career at Mount Sinai, he held full professorships in both Medicine and Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and was Acting Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1972 to 1974. Dr. Schaffner was named the George Baehr Professor of Medicine in 1973 and held that distinguished Chair until his retirement in 1991.

As a founding member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Dr. Schaffner's impact on the field was global and sustained for more than four decades. He served as secretary for fifteen years and was elected its president in 1976. He was devoted to advancing the delivery of quality health care and held the position of Governor of the New York Downstate Chapter of the American College of Physicians. He had a deep commitment to patient care and attended to the needs of his patients from around the world.

Dr. Schaffner authored more than 400 papers and books, and was recognized as an esteemed educator, teacher, and innovator in the study of liver diseases. He co-edited the classic series "Progress in Liver Diseases" over a 29- year period. He also trained dozens of fellows who now represent an international community of senior hepatologists.